# Punta Cana local cigars vs big name brand



## Bullcrap05 (Dec 3, 2010)

Hey guys,

I have a question. I have family going to Punta Cana this February and I've asked them to bring me back cigars. I was reading on the net to be careful because there is a lot of fakes in republic. My cousin already went to republic and brought me a batch of Fuentes and Romeo y Julieta and a few other brand names but I don't even know if they are fakes or the real thing since they were all singles. I find the taste is only of pure tobacco and no other taste. Now I'm a noob at this cigar smoking so maybe my taste buds sucks..hehe

Now I'm in contact with a few local factories to see if they can deliver to the resort they will be at. It seems this wouldn't be a problem. I wanted to try some local handmade brands and I read of 2 good ones, supposedly are Domenico and Don Lucas, they both have a site but I can't post links here for now. 

Anyways I asked prices on a few and I was surprise of the price. I find they are expensive compared to even big brand names. They are in between 130$us to 200$ and up for a box of 25. That was Don Lucas, I didn't have a response yet from domenico. 

Is this normal for them to make those local brands that high in price? Are they worth it to try? 

Is it better to buy from the resort or take a taxi in the country and find a local place... Any suggestions?

Thanks


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## WilsonRoa (Dec 20, 2010)

When I was in Punta Cana, a bunch of vendors would come to the resort 2 days out of the week to try and sell stuff. One of them was a cigar vendor. He had all types of cigars and thinking of it now, they were all priced the same as here. Alot of the cigars were out in the open so I'm not sure how fresh they were or anything.

When it comes to pricing, you have to be careful cause they're all out there to make a living so they'll hustle you as much as they can. I'm sure if your family negotiates the pricing, they'll get a good deal. But then again, I wouldn't really trust them that much. Thats just my .02 and my experience.


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

The sad truth is that most cigars sold in the DR are fake. Even the Fuente and other locally made cigars are made for export and are actually cheaper to buy in the US. Obviously there are a ton of cigars sold to tourists just don’t expect much in terms of quality. There are small factories around Punta Cana that you can visit if you want to see cigars being rolled, but the big estates are quite some distance away in a country with truly terrible roads. Beautiful to visit, but bring your own sticks. 
Don’t buy anything on the beach, those cigars are really nasty.


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## Bullcrap05 (Dec 3, 2010)

bpegler said:


> The sad truth is that most cigars sold in the DR are fake. Even the Fuente and other locally made cigars are made for export and are actually cheaper to buy in the US. Obviously there are a ton of cigars sold to tourists just don't expect much in terms of quality. There are small factories around Punta Cana that you can visit if you want to see cigars being rolled, but the big estates are quite some distance away in a country with truly terrible roads. Beautiful to visit, but bring your own sticks.
> Don't buy anything on the beach, those cigars are really nasty.


hmm wow that does sucks. I'm better off giving my cash to my buddy who will stop at JR cigars in Feb then....


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## baderjkbr (Jun 21, 2010)

I think your better off buying at the store in the hotel, but your going to pay high prices. When I was there a few years back everything sold by the vendors were fake and dry. I thought the same as everybody else that the cigars would be cheaper. Remember tourism is the main source of their income. The funny thing is you can buy American cigarettes cheap. Go figure


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## fivespdcat (Nov 16, 2010)

I agree with pretty much everyone else, the cigars are expensive, but they all try to rip you off. They'll start off at $200 and settle for $50 (or less). If you really want to buy them there, there is 1 real cigar shop that I know of in town but it's a straight up negotiation to buy there. Fun but still a negotiation.


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## ignite223 (Jan 11, 2009)

A friend went last year and smoked something that was labeled a Romeo but was a big dog rocket. He knows a good cigar, and bought at the hotel shop so I would say bring your own.


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## Onlydominican (Aug 24, 2010)

I was born and raised in the Dominican. I travel there every year to see family, and there is only one store from where I dare to buy cigars. Vast majority of stuff sold at the beaches and resorts are fakes. I usually bring my own cigars from here when I travel over there ! Ironic, I know.


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## Bullcrap05 (Dec 3, 2010)

Thanks for all the info guys...I guess no DR for me ) Not taking another chance that is for sure.

Cheers!!


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## BKDW (Nov 7, 2009)

There is a way to find out which distribs sell LEGIT smokes....

I will PM you the info.


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## SeanL (Feb 14, 2010)

Are you able to buy cigars if you go on any of the factory tours?


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## Bullcrap05 (Dec 3, 2010)

BKDW said:


> There is a way to find out which distribs sell LEGIT smokes....
> 
> I will PM you the info.


nice...thanks


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## Bullcrap05 (Dec 3, 2010)

SeanL said:


> Are you able to buy cigars if you go on any of the factory tours?


I'm not sure. Maybe there is and maybe some local brands are not that bad but the problem is that I can't test them since I'm not the one going on vaca hahaha...


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 6, 2011)

Just an FYI to boot, out here in California where tobacco tax is ridiculous it's only 300 dollars in total to be able to buy wholesale.

Some sellers like Davidoff require you have a store front or a website with a certain amount of rolling income (not to mention it runs 20-30 grand just to carry their product), others really could care less as long as you have a tax ID.

Might be worth an investment if you're a serious buyer and want to save money.


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## Vander (Jan 6, 2014)

BKDW, could you share this info with me? tks


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## pstonge (Jan 8, 2014)

Vander said:


> BKDW, could you share this info with me? tks


 BKDW - Would you mind sharing with me as well? I am heading to Punta in April. Thanks in advance.


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## momo439 (Nov 8, 2013)

pstonge said:


> BKDW - Would you mind sharing with me as well? I am heading to Punta in April. Thanks in advance.


I did not quite understand what this thread was about; sorry I would of post much earlier. First of, have a look at this thread:

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-cigar-discussion/331002-dominican-republic-cigars.html

A couple of factory tours are offered near Punta Cana. One is at the De Leon factory : :: Deleon-Cigars.com ::. an other one more popular is the Don Lucas factory. Your hotelcan book it right at the reception and it's about 20 min away. They'll pick you up and drop you back, DonLucasCigars

If you dont mind a bit of road, about 40 minutes away there's La Flor Domicana and Tabacalere De Garcia, Cigar Factory Tours, Dominican Republic Cigars, Visit Tabacalera de Garcia- Cigar Country Tours

And if you feel even more adventurous and you have time to do it, two and a half hour drive will take you to Santo Domingo where there's a multitude of shops to visit but mostly the Arturo Fuente lounge,Portada - Arturo Fuente Cigar Club, Opus X line stocked all the time!!!! (just saying!)

Hope this help


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## cigarmax (Feb 23, 2011)

I visited the Don Lucas factory and find their cigars to be of high quality and very flavorful. My favorite is the black banded which is their strongest cigar and at about $10 a robusto I feel is a good value. As to buying major label cigars, i.e. Fuente, [email protected] etc. you will pay twice what you would in the states. Cigars sold on the beaches are all fakes regardless of brand.


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## Sad Man's Tongue (Dec 18, 2013)

My wedding and honeymoon were in Punta Cana. Do not buy cigars on the beach. They are knock-offs. The prices in most of the duty free shops are outrageous. Some of my buddies and I went to what we were told was going to be a factory. It ended up being a cigar store/lounge. They had 3 guys sitting at workbenches hand rolling sticks to sample. The guy who did the tour explained what they were doing and the process of hand rolling cigars. It was pretty cool. I would recommend doing that so you can sample some local cigars without going in blind.


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